VINCENT:

Jackson Dean: The last time I wrote about what I was listening to, I mentioned a few of my favorite songs from Dean’s newest album. One song that wasn’t on the list was “Daddy Raised.” While the other songs are still in the mix, “Daddy Raised” is atop the list. With Spotify releasing its yearly recap to its subscribers, it wouldn’t be a surprise to see this song on my Top 100.

Wyatt Flores: Similarly to Dean, I talked about Wyatt Flores, as he had just released “Don’t Wanna Say Goodnight,” which at the time, was released as a single. Since, he’s released his first studio album, titled “Welcome To The Plains.” While “Don’t Wanna Say Goodnight” is repetitive in my feed, Flores’ title track “Welcome To The Plains,” “Stillwater” and “Falling Sideways” have quickly joined the mix.

BigXthaPlug: BigXthaPlug is an artist who has quickly become a common name in my mix. Though I’ve found myself listening to many of his singles and older releases, his newest album “TAKE CARE” has been atop my Spotify for around a month. Many of the songs are about his success and struggles, which is highlighted most in “Therapy Session.” With the album being just 31 minutes, I’ve gone through it around a dozen times, not including when the songs get played independently. Of the songs, my favorite three from the album are “Law & Order,” “Leave Me Alone” and “Story of X.”

Ro$ama: Along with BigXthaPlug finding his way to the top of my feed, Ro$ama has accompanied him as a frequent flier in my headphones. I was introduced to him when “Meet the 6ixers” was released, a collaboration with BigXthaPlug and Yung Hood. Since, I’ve enjoyed his singles, most notably “STOMP STEP” and “Ight.”

CHARLOTTE:

Eyedi: South Korean singer and songwriter Eyedi – pronounced like ID – has a melancholic sound to her RnB inspired pop music. Songs like “Caffeine” harmonize her voice with a unique synth-wave during the chorus, and “J.us.T” repeats a pendulum sound to highlight her somber voice.

Yves: Former Loona member Yves has released a second EP titled “I Did” that introduces hyper-pop to the K-pop scene. Her song “Viola” samples SOPHIE, regarded as birthing the hyper-pop genre, and has a catchy chorus repeating the phrase “I just need space.” “Hashtag” has a ‘90s hip-hop beat as Yves questions “How’d you cruelly step into my heart?” and “How you treat me like a stranger?” Yves shows an emotional side in “DIM” as she sings over a slow-tempo trap beat as it transitions into the “old-Loona” sound.

Akira Yamaoka: This composer has a talent for making creepy, yet relaxing music. He’s best known for his works in the Silent Hill franchise, and rightfully so. My love for the franchise has been resparked through the remastering of the second game, “Silent Hill 2.” Songs like “Dance with Night Wind” evoke a sense of comfort with a consistent, unnerving mood while “Heaven’s Night” offers a hopeful, relaxing atmosphere as a synth clashes with the peace. Yamaoka does a perfect job at creating a familiar, yet foreign feeling with his creations.

JACK:

Tyler, The Creator: Tyler, The Creator recently released his eighth studio album “Chromakopia” to widespread acclaim and massive streaming numbers. It’s a collection of diverse sounds – “Rah Tah Tah” is reminiscent of mid-2010s Tyler, albeit with toned-down lyrics, while tracks like “Like Him” are deeply personal and showcase Tyler’s growing singing ability that he debuted on 2019’s “Igor.”

Gus Dapperton: Gus Dapperton is a pop artist waiting to blossom into a star. His 2023 album “Henge” has been on constant replay since its release. The opening track, “Sunset,” explodes with a cinematic violin before setting the tone for the rest of the runtime. Songs like “Phases” and “Wet Cement” represent some of the best he has to offer. His vocals are laden with effects and sound unnatural in a natural way, mixing well with his futuristic but catchy instrumentals.

BigXThaPlug: Texas rapper BigXThaPlug is on the upswing. “Take Care,” his sophomore album, perfectly showcases his larger-than-life presence on every track. His voice is deep and full, yet effortlessly slides across beats. “Change Me” is a prime example, as BigX juxtaposes his dominant voice with a soulful flute, while “2AM” slows down with a lazy twang that BigX treats similarly.

LOGAN:

Josh Groban: It’s the most wonderful time of the year, and with that comes the return of Christmas music. My favorite Christmas song that has been on blast the last week is “Believe” by Josh Groban, from “The Polar Express.” Not only does this song bring that warm fuzzy feeling of the Holidays, it also has a great message. Each verse of the song ends with Josh saying, “You have everything you need, if you just believe!” This song not only sets the vibe, it also encourages us to go out and chase that dream that keeps us awake at night. All we simply need to do is believe.

John Legend: Another undisputed king of Christmas music. Mainly in particular I love John’s cover of “Happy Xmas (War is Over).” Very similar to most Christmas songs, I love how it gets the spirit going, but I also love the message in this one. “So this is Christmas, and what have we done? Another year over, a new one has just begun.” This verse makes me look back at the year, embracing the hardships and successes. It makes me realize how much I learned, changed, and all the goals I accomplished, and it helps me remember that life is pretty good after all. The constant refrain of “War is over!” feels great to hear after all the hard battles I fought the past year.

Frank Sinatra: If you couldn’t tell already, Christmas music is all I have been listening to recently, and Frank Sinatra is an absolute must listen to. His voice is so easily recognizable, and his voice perfectly fits that emotional tone to some of these Christmas songs. The main ones I have been listening to are “Hark! The Herald Angels Sing,” all about the birth of our savior Jesus, and the sole reason we celebrate Christmas, and “The Christmas Song,” a classic about all the beautiful things we all love about the holiday season.

ISABELLA:

Loving Caliber: One of the bands I sometimes listen to is a small, but popular band known as Loving Caliber, a Swedish trio focused on pop music. The members of the band are lead singer Michael Stenmark and co-producers Anders Lystell and Linda Stenmark. This band is mainly known for the well known YouTuber, Aphmau, who has used many of their songs for her Minecraft roleplay series. The band’s newest song called “I Wouldn’t Change A Thing” is a collaboration between Aphmau and Loving Caliber that was made for Aphmau’s Mystreet season 7 trailer and music video for the trailer. Some of my other favorite songs from Loving Caliber along with “I Wouldn’t Change A Thing” are “Faster Car” used during Aphmau’s Mystreet season 5, “I Am Falling For You” used during season 6, and “You Will Always Be The One.”

Owl City: Another band, whose music I also enjoy listening to sometimes is a band known as Owl City, featuring the band’s lead singer Adam Young. Some of my favorite songs from this band are “The Tornado,” “Good Time” and “Live It Up.” However, my top favorite song of theirs will probably have to be their song called “Fireflies” released in 2009. The way Owl City does the synth style music and the instrumentals within their songs, especially during the first few seconds of their song “Fireflies,” is the main thing about the songs of this band that makes me like their music. I have replayed the first several seconds of Owl City’s song “Fireflies” many times while listening to that song just to listen to the instrumentals. Another thing I enjoy about the music video is how creative they got with the lighting in the room while only using one room in the entire music video.

Good Kid: A band I’ve been enjoying listening to is an indie rock band called Good Kid. I discovered this band through one of the band’s songs, “Mimi’s Delivery Service,” being played on a YouTuber’s stream I was watching one day, and I began to like the music style of the songs this band makes as I listened to more of their songs after watching that YouTuber’s stream. This band is a five-member indie rock band on YouTube from Toronto, Ontario. The band’s members consist of their lead vocalist named Nick Frosst, the drummer Jon Kereliuk, the bassist player Michael Kozakov and the two guitarists named David Wood and Jacob Tsafatinos. You can find their music on platforms like YouTube, Spotify, Apple Music, Pandora, YouTube Music, iHeartRadio, Amazon Music and Deezer. One of my favorite songs this band has made is the song titled “First Rate Town” released in 2023.

HUNTER:

Taylor Swift: American singer-songwriter Taylor Swift was born in West Reading, Pennsylvania on December 13, 1989. She released her debut album entitled “Taylor Swift” on October 24, 2006. She took a two-year break between albums, up until “Reputation.” Although a majority of her discography discusses her past relationships, she has also released songs for movies like “The Hunger Games” and wrote more personal songs like “Ronan” off of her album “Red” which was written as a charity single about Maya Tompson’s son, Ronan, who had died of neuroblastoma at the age of 4. I would have to say that my favorite song would have to be “My Tears Ricochet” from her eighth studio album “Folklore,” which was the first album she released during the pandemic.

Sabrina Carpenter: Sabrina Carpenter started her career as Maya Hart on the Disney show “Girl Meets World.” Since then, she has put out six studio albums and two EPs. I have had Carpenter’s most recent album “Short and Sweet” on repeat since its release. She is nominated for a total of six Grammy nominations, including Album of the Year for “Short and Sweet,” Song of the Year for “Please Please Please” and Best New Artist. I believe that Sabrina Carpenter did not become popular until recently when she released “Nonsense” off of her album “Emails I Can’t Send.” Right now, I would say my favorite song of hers is “Juno.”

ENHYPEN: ENHYPEN is a Korean-based boy group formed through the survival show I-Land in 2020. They were formed under the label Belift Labs, which is part of the bigger company Hybe. Later that year, they debuted with their single “Given-Taken” off of their debut EP “Border: Day One.” I would have to say my all-time favorite EP of theirs would be “Border: Carnival.” It includes songs that focus on figuring out who you are under a digital spotlight that is put on you with “Mixed Up,” newfound fame “Drunk Dazed” and navigating the roller coaster adventures of love “Fever.”

Contact the writers: [email protected], [email protected], [email protected], [email protected], [email protected], [email protected]